5 tips for your newborns first photo shoot

My best friend had her first child recently. The sweetest boy, Sullivan Duke.

She asked me if I would take a few pictures of him when I came to visit. I had never taken pictures of a newborn before, but I was excited (and nervous) to give it a try.

Armed with my Canon Rebel T6i and 50mm lens, I made the drive to her house, racking my brain on the best ways to get the perfect pictures of this sweet 2 week old.

Lets just say Sullivan rocked his photo shoot! SoI thought I would share my top 5 tips for getting (semi) professional looking baby pictures right in your own home!

1 – Sheep skin rug – I dont know about you, but I love the look of a tiny peanut curled up on a sheep skin rug. You can get inexpensive faux sheep skin rugs from winners or home sense. It is an easy way to get a good clean background, and a comfy spot for the babe to have a snooze!

2 – Lighting – This is the most important! And when I say lighting I’m referring to natural light. The artificial lighting that a light bulb gives off can often leave your picture colour looking off. Natural light is always the best. Try to find a room with as much natural light as you can. For these particular pictures I used a window in their master bedroom. Obviously it is impossible to have a baby co-operate, but try and have them face the light as best you can.

3 – Raised off the ground – For me, I found having the baby raised off the ground (still in front of the window) allowed for the lighting to fall over his face better. I placed the sheep skin rug on their master bed approximately 2 feet away from the window.

4 – Milk drunk baby – This one might seem like a no brainer, but you definately want to try and take the pictures right after the baby is fed. This is especially important if you’re aiming for sleeping baby pics vs. awake baby. Save yourself the hassle and don’t even attempt this with a hangry (hungry + angry, in case you didn’t know) baby!

5 – Go with the flow! – It can be stressful when you so badly want to get that perfect photo but it just doesn’t seem to be going the way you planned. Know that all children are unpredictable and it’s possible that the pictures just aren’t going to happen when you want. Keep calm (so baby stays calm) and do the best you can!

Being my first shot at newborn pics, I was pleasantly surprised with the final pictures I got of sweet Sully. Check out some of the completed pictures of this precious babe below.